The Waxwing 



Family— AMPEL ID. E. 



The Waxwing. 



A/nptiis f;ay>///us, LlNN. 



AN abundant though irregular winter visitor to our islands, the Waxwing, says 

 Seebohm, " is almost a circumpolar bird, breeding in the pine regions of 

 both hemispheres at or near the Arctic circle." "Throughout Central 

 Europe it is a tolerable regular winter visitor. It occurs accidently on Heligoland, 

 and occasionally strays as far west as France, and as far south as Lombardy and 

 Turke}', but has not yet been recorded from Spain or Greece. It winters in South 

 Siberia, occasionally straying as far as Turkestan, Mongolia, North China, and the 

 north island of Japan. In America its winter range extends as far south as Lakes 

 Michigan and Erie ; but it appears to be only an accidental straggler further east, 

 and it is doubtful if it has ever occurred west of the Rocky Mountains." 



In Great Britain the Waxwing has been most frequently met with in the 

 northern and eastern counties; Mr. Frohawk tells me that in the winter of 1867-S 

 a flock of seven visited a small plantation at Brisley, in Norfolk ; but in England 

 it has from time to time been observed in almost every county, whilst in Ireland 

 it has been but rarely obtained, excepting towards the end of 1903 when a good 

 many visited the island and twenty were shot ; its visits to Scotland have been 

 tolerably frequent, extending even to the islands of Skye, Orkney and Shetland, 

 it has twice been recorded from the Outer Hebrides. 



The upper surface of the adult male Waxwing is pale rosy-brown, gradually 

 changing to ash-grey on the rump and upper tail-coverts, and into chestnut on the 

 sides of the crest and forehead ; a narrow frontal band, the lores, and a streak 

 from the back of the eye black ; wings and tail almost black, the wing-coverts, the 

 inner webs of the primaries, and outer webs of the secondaries tipped with white, 

 the latter tipped with wax-like vermilion points, the outside webs of the primaries 

 tipped with yellow, joining the white tij^s of the inner webs so as to form \^-like 

 markings; tail feathers broadly tipped with yellow; under surface rosy-brown, 

 shading into chestnut on the cheeks ; a white streak at the base of the lower 

 mandible ; front of throat and chin black ; centre of belly whitish ; under tail- 

 coverts chestnut; bill and feet black; iris hazel. The female is slightly duller, 



